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PASSAGE OF ARMS BILL KEY FOR U.S., NOT NATURE OF BUDGET: MND

ROC Central News Agency

2005-12-21 19:55:10

    Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) The United States is looking forward to a quick passage of a major arms procurement bill by Taiwan's legislature, but it does not care about whether it is financed by a regular or special budget, Vice Minister of National Defense (MND) Tsai Ming-shien said Wednesday.

    Tsai, who returned recently from the United States where he took part in a Taiwan-U.S. military meeting, made the remarks while giving a special report at the National Defense Committee under the Legislative Yuan.

    The MND is willing to find common ground with the opposition on how the budget for the arms purchase package should be earmarked in order not to affect the allocation for other operations despite the fact that President Chen Shui-bian has proclaimed that the country's military spending should be lifted to 3 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), Tsai said.

    The MND submitted the major military procurement bill last year, valued at NT$610.8 billion, to the Legislative Yuan for its approval to procure eight diesel-powered submarines, six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries and 12 anti-submarine airplanes from the United States.

    But the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan has repeatedly refused to discuss the bill, questioning the heavy financial burden that Taiwan has to sustain and the country's need to acquire the weapons, although the MND has slashed the spending to NT$480 billion.

    The bill was rammed through the Rules Committee a day earlier, in which 12 lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union voted in favor against five lawmakers of the opposition "pan blue alliance" of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP).

    Out of concern over the latest development, members of the Democratic Action Alliance visited the legislative caucus of the PFP Wednesday morning, asking the party never to soften its stance against the major military purchase bill.

    Alliance members also urged KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou not to bow to pressure from the United States by agreeing to the MND's 3 percent GDP proposal.

    Increased military expenditures would fan an arms race with China, whose military budget accounts for only 0.43 percent of its GDP but is 8.7 fold that of Taiwan's level, they warned.

    An adjustment from the current ratio of 2.42 percent in GDP to 3 percent equals a considerable growth of NT$70 billion in cash, which in turn is not a guarantee for peace, they said, noting that a 2.42 percent share already makes Taiwan one of Asia's frontrunners in military spending.

    Echoing their comments, PFP legislative caucus whip Daniel Y.C. Huang said that the MND's military procurement bill must be assessed together with the government's finances and the state of cross-Taiwan Strait relations.

    The PFP maintains that the military procurement package must not crowd out the government's budgets in other fields and that the government should first do something to bolster cross-strait ties, such as opening up to Chinese tourists and setting up direct transport links.

    PFP lawmaker Chao Liang-yen said that she will call a public hearing to gauge public opinion about the 3 percent GDP proposal.

(By Flor Wang)

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